Only one who has been systematically terrified over and over by firefights, deadly ambushes, snipers, booby traps, and rocket and mortar fire can understand the true horror of combat. The resulting terror strikes long-lasting fear in the psyche of a young person. To be exposed over and over, month after month, wounds the soul in ways that lasts a lifetime. Here, Vietnam veterans talk of the long-term consequences of post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by their experiences in combat. Even decades after their initial exposure, they still suffer flashbacks, nightmares, depression, difficulties in their families and their careers, and other challenges as a result of their time on the front lines. Still, the author shows that there is hope for those who suffer from PTSD after combat, offering strategies that others have used to cope with their memories so they may move forward. If you are puzzled by the term "post-traumatic stress disorder," you could do nothing better than read Combat Trauma: A Personal Look at Long-Term Consequences. In this bombshell of a book, sixteen veterans of the Vietnam War describe their heroic battles, first with the enemy and then with their own internal demons. They describe PTSD as "a lifetime sentence," "being trapped in the past," "four decades of pain," and "walking the point alone." Anyone who has a friend or relative with a PTSD diagnosis needs to read this book in order to gain at least a partial understanding of a sear to the soul that never seems to heal. For mental health professionals, PTSD is a psychiatric disorder; for me it is also a combat wound, and this incredible book bears testimony to that judgment.
Reviews: James Johnson's Combat Trauma offers a searing account of the impacts of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, as told from the perspective of sixteen combat veterans who have suffered, endured, and gained valuable insight from their experiences. Anyone seeking to understand the effects of combat stress and the men who suffer from it should read this book. — Jason A. Stewart, Texas Tech University It's no easy road for returning veterans and that return home can be a lot easier with a map-Combat Trauma: A Personal Look at Long-Term Consequences is that map. There are a lot of things I could say about this important piece of work, but in simplest terms, this book will save lives. — Michael Anthony, Iraq War Veteran and author of Mass Casualties: A Young Medic's True Story of Death, Deception, and Dishonor in Iraq In this incredibly courageous expose, a group of 16 Vietnam veterans look at the realities of combat trauma and their own PTSD, offering an intensely personal glimpse into what brings it on, why it isn't curable, what people can do to cope, and most importantly, how loved ones can come to terms with it. While this is by no means a clinical guide written by medical professionals, it is a strikingly honest look at an issue that is becoming more apparent in our society as combat veterans return from Iraq and Afghanistan. Readers will be drawn in immediately—not to the jungles of Vietnam, but the internal hell of the men who fought there. Forty years after the fact, these men experience regular flashbacks; readers will be shocked and angered by the lack of government resources being devoted to the problem, and moved by the effects that these experiences have had on the soldiers' personal and professional lives....In creating an emotional understanding, Johnson's book is a success. — Publishers Weekly If you are puzzled by the term "post-traumatic stress disorder," you could do nothing better than read Combat Trauma: A Personal Look at Long-Term Consequences. In this bombshell of a book, sixteen veterans of the Vietnam War describe their heroic battles, first with the enemy and then with their own internal demons. They describe PTSD as "a lifetime sentence," "being trapped in the past," "four decades of pain," and "walking the point alone." Anyone who has a friend or relative with a PTSD diagnosis needs to read this book in order to gain at least a partial understanding of a sear to the soul that never seems to heal. For mental health professionals, PTSD is a psychiatric disorder; for me it is also a combat wound, and this incredible book bears testimony to that judgment. — Stanley Krippner Ph.D, Saybrook University While the information was helpful to both the men and women who may have been suffering from PTSD, either knowingly or unknowingly, the information was also helpful to their families. — The Stanly News and Press Table of Contents: 1. Then and Now 2. We Sixteen - Who We Are I. GOING TO THE HELL OF COMBAT 3. Our Trauma 4. Broken Bodies, Minds and Brotherhood II. HOME (BITTER) SWEET HOME 5. On The Home Front 6. Ignored by the Government, Society and the Public III. LIVING WITH OUR TRAUMA - SYMPTOMS 7. Sleep Problems and Nightmares 8. Flashbacks 9. Triggers 10. Withdrawal, Numbness and Depression 11. Fear and Anger 12. Hyper Vigilance, Startle and Concentration 13. Guilt, Trust, Denial 14. Memories and Re-experiencing Combat Trauma 15. Work and Career 16. Family, Faith and Morality 17. Physical Problems and Combat Trauma 18. Wannabees, Liars and Pretenders IV. HOPE AND HELP - Care and Treatment 19. Re-establishment of the Brotherhood 20. Treating Ourselves 21. The Veterans Administration 22. Veterans Helping Veterans 23. Then and Now - Again 24. In Memoriam - Mitch Perdue About the Author: James D. Johnson is a retired Army Chaplain (Lt. Col.) and was a counselor/therapist in Fayetteville, NC for over fifteen years. He is a graduate of the US Army's Command and General Staff college and completed four units of specialized training in Clinical Pastoral Education. He spent a year in Vietnam as an infantry battalion chaplain in the Mekong Delta. He was awarded several Bronze Stars (two with valor), the Air Medal, and nine other American and Vietnamese awards. He also was awarded five Meritorious Service medals and two Army Commendation medals. He is author of Combat Chaplain: A Thirty-Year Vietnam Battle. He has written or been written about in many publication including Vet Extra, Vietnam Magazine, Front Porch, the Fayetteville Observer and others. Mr. Johnson can be reached at [email protected] |